Ukraine warns of Russian missile strikes as it repels drones

1 hour ago
About sharing

A woman removes debris after a Russian drone strike on the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa on Monday
By Oliver Slow
BBC News

Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, has come under fresh attack by Russian drones, with officials also warning of missile strikes from Moscow.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said explosions could be heard in the city on Tuesday morning, and that drone wreckage had sparked a fire in Desnianskyi district, near the centre.

There were also air alerts in other cities, including Kherson and Mykolaiv.

Recent days have seen major aerial assaults by both sides.

Klitschko said drone wreckage had caused a fire in Desnianskyi district, and that emergency services were on site.

The mayor of Mykolaiv, in southern Ukraine, said air defences had brought down drones in the city, with debris causing a fire.

Ukraine’s air force said on Telegram that it had downed all 35 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) launched by Russia on Monday night. However, following those attacks, it said there were numerous missiles being fired from Russia, towards areas including Kyiv, Cherkasy and Kirovohrad.

It told residents to listen to air raid sirens and to head towards shelters.

It came after numerous attacks by both sides in recent days, with Russia retaliating against a Ukrainian strike on the Russian border city of Belgorod on Saturday, which killed at least 25 people and injured more than 100:

According to Moscow-installed officials, Ukraine shelled the Russian-held city of Donetsk on New Year’s Eve (Sunday), killing four people and wounding 13, while according to Ukraine, Russian drone strikes killed one person and injured nine in Odesa
On New Year’s Day (Monday), six civilians were killed by Russian strikes in various Ukrainian cities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his forces would intensify strikes on military targets in Ukraine, in response to the Belgorod strikes.

Mr Putin also said that Western rhetoric towards the war was beginning to change as they started to realise they could not “destroy” Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky countered these claims in an interview with The Economist, saying Mr Putin’s suggestion that Russia was winning the war was only a “feeling”. He highlighted Russia’s casualty figures in Ukraine, and said the opposing forces had been unable to take a single large city in 2023.

Mr Zelensky also expressed frustration with Kyiv’s Western allies, saying they had lost a sense of urgency.

Related Topics

More on this story

30 December 2023
31 December 2023